Republican in South Carolina?

Editors note:  The following was written by Brit Adams, a grass roots activist from Oconee County who keeps the so called Republicans from the Golden Corner of the state busy.  Republished with permission.

What is it to be a Republican in South Carolina?

I contend the Republican Party has strayed so far from the platform I don’t even recognize it at all. I will be taking all my quotations straight from the South Carolina Republican Platform.

I want to begin with “this platform of the South Carolina Party is intended to identify and clearly establish those principles for which the party stands”.

I’ll start with Government Restructuring.  “The Republican Party knows restructuring and rightsizing state government will save taxpayers’ dollars, improve public services, and return the appropriate balance of power, while reducing undue burdens to the people of South Carolina.”

Did we get rightsizing?  No they added agencies.  Did we get appropriate balance of power?  No we still have intertwining of agencies across government branches.

We have a Republican majority in the House, Senate, and a Republican Governor.  The Platform states, “We urge the legislature to give voters the opportunity to amend the Constitution of South Carolina so as to delete from the list of State officers which must be elected so that they are appointed by the Governor”.  Have we gotten that?  No.

Under the heading of Judiciary, “The South Carolina Republican Party deplores the social engineering and ‘legislating” from the bench’”.  But still our judges are appointed from the Senate, (where they are beholden to the Senate), not appointed by the Governor and approved by the Senate.

Under the Heading of State Rights the Platform says. “South Carolina Republicans note with great alarm the continual erosion of state’s rights guaranteed in the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution and the regular usurpation of the state prerogatives by the national government.”  Our states rights are being eroded by our Legislature every time they accept federal funds.  The strings attached to these monies dictates how our legislature votes.  Proof positive of this is Bill H-4639 “International Energy Codes”.  First, our legislature passes a Bill stating light bulbs produced is SC cannot be controlled by the Federal Government, and then they pass a law stating we can’t use incandescent  light bulbs.  Do they even read what they are passing?

One of my personal favorites is Tax Policy.  “We realize that free people maximizing the power of free markets will do more to enhance the wealth and the economic security of South Carolinians THAN any government program ever could.”  Well, well, well, with our Republican controlled state, nothing could be further from the truth.  Our tax code is the complete opposite of the Platform.  Our tax code is so out of whack we have to give FILO (fee in lieu of) just to try to make us look competitive.  We have half the taxpayers paying the other half’s taxes because of state tax policy.  If our state legislature would follow the Republican Platform we could be living in the freest state in the country.

The Party supports the original intent of Home Rule.  “While SC Republicans support the concept of local autonomy, we recognize that an across the board support for unlimited Home Rule could result in taxation without limitations, importing Washington style tax-and-spend government to our local communities.”  We have this very problem right here in Oconee County and when we beg our delegation for help, all we get are crickets.

This one is a biggie, Property Rights, and I quote, “The South Carolina Republican party acknowledges the high position of property rights in a free society.  Republicans consider private property rights the cornerstone of environmental progress.  That lesson has been confirmed in the tragic environmental record of communist rule and of socialist readiness in the less developed world.”  So here we have Republican controlled government, and our legislature allows the government to stamp, run over, and crush our property rights.  They have allowed such things as the “1994 Enabling Act” which gives our counties immeasurable powers.  As a matter of fact, at the last GOP State Convention it was voted and passed to be a part of the platform to repeal the “ 1994 Enabling Act” and it is nowhere to be found.  Again we have begged, pleaded, and screamed to our local delegation, (Sandifer, Whitmire, and Alexander) for help from our county council where our property rights are being crushed and all we hear is silence.  Not to mention the 1994 Enabling Act is straight from the UN and Agenda 21.  But still our Republican controlled government does nothing.  Another slap to the Party Platform.

The Right to Life

Party Platform: “The Party is totally opposed to the chemical, surgical, or any method of abortion on demand and the use of PUBLIC REVENUES to pay for abortions or to fund organizations which advocates abortion.”  Yet our REPUBLICAN controlled House of Representatives voted unanimously another record breaking budget which includes publicly funded abortion.  Not a single Representative could stand up and say maybe this is wrong.  When you don’t stand for principles and values what do you have?  NOTHING.

The election process: “We believe political parties have the right to choose their nominees; therefore, we support primaries that are open only the registered voters of that political party”.  Here is a commentary by Harry Kibler, founder “RINO HUNT”:

Conservatives like Former SCGOP Chairman Greg Shorey and Former State Senator Lewis Vaughn were promoting Registration by Party long before there was a Tea Party or RINO Hunt.  These men, and others, recognized that in order to maintain a truly conservative political party, registration, as a member of the party was essential.

The reason for registration by party is simple; liberal policies don’t work, they never have and never will.  The Democrat Party was hijacked by liberals and socialists decades ago.  In most cases, Democrat politicians cannot get elected in South Carolina; with the exception of minority districts where liberal policies have destroyed the human potential God gives to every man, woman and child.  With little chance to expand failed policies of liberalism as a Democrat, they must assert their policies as a Republican.  They accomplish this by voting in our Republican primaries and selecting the least conservative candidate that can get elected as a Republican.

Political parties are private organizations.  Like churches, Boy’s Scouts and American Legions, political parties have a right to associate with like minded people that agree on specific principals.  Those who do not believe in the stated principles of the private organization should not be allowed to obstruct the process or progress of the organization.  Registration by Party legislation has been introduced in South Carolina many times in the past.  Every time it has been introduced, it has failed.

Recently, Gary Smith of Greenville County introduced legislation again.  Even though the State Republican platform has requested this legislation, it failed once again to make it out of the House Judiciary Committee.  This committee is made up of 14 Republicans and 10 Democrats.  When Greg Delaney, Republican of Chester County made a motion to send it back to the sub-committee, where legislation dies, only four Republicans continued to fight for the bill.  They were Alan Clemmons (Horry), Derham Cole (Spartanburg), Dan Hamilton (Greenville) and Wendy Nanney (Greenville).  These Representatives deserve our appreciation and respect.

The ten Republicans serving on the Committee that did not support the Party platform were James Harrison (Richland), George Hearn (Horry), Greg Delleney (Chester), Jenny Horne (Dorchester), Peter McCoy (Charleston), Rick Quinn (Lexington), Mike Scottile (Charleston), Eddie Tallon (Spartanburg), Tom Young (Aiken), and Bruce Bannister (Greenville).

Every one of these gutless cowards deserves to be challenged in the upcoming primaries.  They have aligned themselves on the side of the liberals that infect our conservative Party with Obama supporters and union bosses.  In fact, if there is a potential candidate in their district who is willing to challenge them, RINO Hunt will support their campaign.

Some of the very cosponsors of the bill did nothing to defend it, which shows the real picture; they needed to tell people in their district that they support registration by party, when they really had no intension to support it.  Those that cosponsored the bill and then did nothing to defend it were; George Hearn (Horry) and Mike Scottile (Charleston).

Bruce Bannister made a commitment to me that he would add his name as a cosponsor and would indeed support the legislation.  He failed to live up to that commitment.  He will now face a possible censure from the very Party that he must file with to be on the ballot.  The Greenville County Republican Party should withhold any support if he is challenged.  Representative Bannister serves District 24 of Greenville County which includes the Verdae Rd. and Main Greenville Tech Campus areas.

Let’s discuss the Economy.

“The South Carolina Republican Party recognizes that the general welfare is prompted most effectively by dynamic development through the free enterprise system.  We understand:

•  from freedom comes opportunity for individuals
•  from opportunity,  comes growth and innovation
•  from growth, comes improved quality of life”

Where does it say we can pick winners and loser?

Where does it say we need Public Private Partnerships?

Where does it say we can operate a Business as a Gov. Body?

1. South Carolina Research authority
2. Broad band ownership by a County
3. Funding Private Developments with Public Funds

Just to name a few.

What do we hear from the Party:  Silence.

In summary, we have a Republican controlled House, Senate, and a Republican Governor.  Yet we are given legislation that directly defies the Republican Party Platform.  Why do we have party members in our Legislature who continually vote against the Party Platform, yet are allowed to run under the Republican Party Banner?

I think the Party has turned into milquetoast and we are going to get what we deserve if we allow this to go on.

I will say it one more time …  if we don’t stand on principles and values all we are is a bunch of Liberals floating in the wind.  I think we are better than that.  Time to draw the line in the sand and stand for something.

Brit Adams